Tibet, once known as a ‘forbidden kingdom,’ a remote Shangri-la in the clouds, is now more accessible to travelers than ever before. No longer do tourists have to endure the long and arduous journey along treacherous mountain roads—a journey made even harder by Chinese officialdom trying to control or simply prevent the outside world from seeing any evidence of the destruction visited upon Tibet under China’s rule. Now tourists can enter Tibet from Chengdu in Sichuan, Xining in Qinghai, or Kathmandu in Nepal by air—and the Qinghai-Lhasa train that opened in July 2006 has made the plateau even more accessible.

Tourists may understand that the devotional element of Tibetan Buddhist religion is still thriving in Tibet, but may fail to grasp that the survival of the Buddhist culture, so critical to Tibetan identity, is facing its most severe crisis. It may also not be apparent that behind the modern urban façade, a growing underclass of Tibetans are increasingly marginalized and impoverished, without access to even basic healthcare and education. China’s economic policies, imposed from the top-down, are resulting in a dramatic and irreversible change to Tibetan people’s lives with little or no consideration for the differences
between Tibetan and Chinese culture and traditions.

ICT's alternative travel guide, "Interpreting Tibet: A Political Guide to Traveling in Tibet," explores the ethical questions of visiting Tibet, a country under Chinese occupation, and offers a perspective for the traveler to Tibet who wants to be informed about the reality of their destination, as opposed to the propaganda and the mythology.